Behind Sunken Eyes
by LolitaRaven
Summary: What was going through Barty Crouch Jr's head as he waited for the Dementor's kiss?  One-shot


Only a small chink of light falls across the cold, dirty floor; barely enough to illuminate it. Even the air itself grasps at ones throat with cold oppression. Surely this is no place for human life? But there is life here, if "life" is what you can call it. Shrouded in the murky darkness is a figure.. a young man with sandy hair. Backwards and forwards he rocks, clinging to himself like a drowning man clutches driftwood. Hoping against hope that somewhere in the sea of misery help will come. But this is Azkaban... only the soul destroying Dementors roam these corridors... But hope is all these people can cling to; for their sanity, their Lord... and that someone special.

The hallway of the castle echoes with muffled laughter. "We shouldn't be here Barty" a female voice gasps. "Well I'll give your surprise to someone else..." A boy whispers in mock offence. Barty moves along the corridor to a passageway, making sure his footsteps are not heard. Looking behind him he is met by a pair of beautiful brown eyes and a freckled face framed by blonde hair. His tongue flicks inadvertently, a tick of some kind picked up from an unknown place in his childhood. Elle Redgrave could have any boy she wanted. Slytherin, pureblood, strong... a perfect catch for any guy. But despite his tick, unmanagable hair and family roots, Elle had fallen for Barty. Something unknown had pulled two players together; would their script keep them tas they wished? Or are they as star-crossed as the two lovers in the muggle play "Romeo and Juliet"?

Barty looks on in horror as Elle lifts the sleeve of her robes. Upon her skin is a skull with a snake protruding from it, almost as if tattooed, except tattoos don't move. Barty's horror is matched in equal measure by Elle's pride. If it weren't for school rules she would gladly declare her allegiance to the Dark Lord to all. But the whole "mudblood equality" thing means she has to keep quiet. "Isn't it wonderful Barty?" She gushes. "The Dark Lord will rise to power; purebloods will rule! And his most faithful followers will be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams! I intend to be one of them. Don't you?" Her brown eyes meet his and he knows he can never refuse her. "Yes my love" He stutters, "I want to be a part of your owrld... _his_ world."

"What am I doing?" Barty thinks to himself as he approaches the house. The Dark Lord has fallen the plans for a pureblood future lie in tatters. But Elle has a plan, a stupid suicidal plan, as usual Barty can not resist following her... like a lamb to the slaughter perhaps? Wasn't it her who persuaded him to become a Death Eater, to turn his back on his family, to use the Unforgivable curses? But he obeys blindly to keep her love and adoration. Having always been a disappointment to his father, Barty could not live without Elle's. A blast brings him back to reality. The front door of the house bursts open and they flood in, ready to take the first step towards Elle's plan. Bellatrix Lestrange follows Elle closely in a way that makes Barty somewhat uncomfortable. Why does she watch her movement so intently? Does she fear a rebellion or something else?

"Please, please no!" Alice Longbottom weeps before the Cruciatus curse rings out again. Her husband, Frank, is already lying on the floor mumbling- the curse being too much for him to take after being repeatedly subjected to it. Elle shouts "If you don't tell me where our Lord is, I'll go to your mother's house and take that brat of a child to. And for Merlin's sake you best hope neither Bella nor I do get hold of him!" Barty stands there shaking. He never wanted this.. all he wanted was to love and to be loved. But now before him is the twitching, shaking body of Alice Longbottom as mad as her husband now... all at the hands of his lover. A noise outside causes them to flee, but perhaps they can sense that they have gone too far.

The memory charm is simple, Karkaroff had never been particularly strong willed. The other charm.. well that was a different matter. It took all of Barty's concentration to get that bit right. But finally the trap was set, he just hoped that she would know what he had done and why.

"Barty Crouch...Junior" Karkaroff calls to the subdued courtroom. Pandemonium breaks out as Barty moves to the door before being stunned by Moody. His father, with the same look of contempt he always had for his unwanted spawn declares that he has no son, before Barty is hauled away protesting. He had never been much of an actor, but his limited skills seemed to be working now. And with that he was taken to Azkaban to wait for his fate.

Years have passed, many events have occurred and become lost in the madness that corrodes the brains of prisoners. Azkaban is not the place to have hopes and dreams, merely where one stays to live out their days, each as painful as the last, before wither death gives them release or madness makes them believe that they are sipping a butterbeer on the beach. Barty Crouch Jr faces neither of these fates. The cold air looms around him, and through the veil of madness he knows what is coming. He sees them come for him, but his most closely guarded secret remains hidden behind sunken eyes. His sacrifice ensured that Elle was safe from harm, warmed by his love. And he knows that finally he is not a disappointment to anyone... he is dearly cherished by her until the end of time.

And so, he meets the Dementor's kiss with a smile on his lips.


End file.
